Essay
Christmas is a time where families come together to share in the christmas joy.Richard Rodrigues shows the negative impact of a newly wealthy family, and the change in the dynamic that the material success has brought. The once proud parents who always wanted success for their children have seen less and less of their kids, and the effect of that is conveyed in the detailed interaction between the members of their family. Sibling’s success that allows them to buy such expensive items has taken them away from their family and holidays have become a routine rather than a genuine interaction. Rodriguez himself also notices the emptiness in their relationship both between himself and his parents and everyone as a unit. In the passage Richard …show more content…
The mother has always wanted her children to grow up and be rich and able to afford luxury items. She dreamed of them buying her lots of presents and “a big fur coat.” They were most likely not able to afford such things for themselves at the time and she wanted more for her family. Rodriguez uses details like the fur coat to present the contrast in the mother. Now with her wealthy children, she “stands with a coat over her shoulders looking into the dark.” Achieving material success has brought her the fur coat but at the cost of her family. They no longer have these happy christmases, they have become separated from each other. The kid’s job takes them away from their family, and there is no real connection between them. What is normally filled with heartfelt good byes and hugs, the mother “stands waving toward no one in particular?” Everything has become a routine, with waving being an obligation and carries no meaning behind it. Material success brings a broken connection in the family and interactions between the members. The father’s only words to his son are to ask “If I am going home now.” There is a disconnect in their relationship because they have nothing to say to each other, and their material success has only exacerbated this issue. There is an expectation for his son to leave, and not stay and celebrate. These empty interaction have become a cycle that has been happening for a while, and has not improved. Richard Rodriguez argues the negative aspects of material success in the routine interaction that have driven a wedge in the relationship of parent and
Christmas is a time where families come together to share in the christmas joy.Richard Rodrigues shows the negative impact of a newly wealthy family, and the change in the dynamic that the material success has brought. The once proud parents who always wanted success for their children have seen less and less of their kids, and the effect of that is conveyed in the detailed interaction between the members of their family. Sibling’s success that allows them to buy such expensive items has taken them away from their family and holidays have become a routine rather than a genuine interaction. Rodriguez himself also notices the emptiness in their relationship both between himself and his parents and everyone as a unit. In the passage Richard …show more content…
The mother has always wanted her children to grow up and be rich and able to afford luxury items. She dreamed of them buying her lots of presents and “a big fur coat.” They were most likely not able to afford such things for themselves at the time and she wanted more for her family. Rodriguez uses details like the fur coat to present the contrast in the mother. Now with her wealthy children, she “stands with a coat over her shoulders looking into the dark.” Achieving material success has brought her the fur coat but at the cost of her family. They no longer have these happy christmases, they have become separated from each other. The kid’s job takes them away from their family, and there is no real connection between them. What is normally filled with heartfelt good byes and hugs, the mother “stands waving toward no one in particular?” Everything has become a routine, with waving being an obligation and carries no meaning behind it. Material success brings a broken connection in the family and interactions between the members. The father’s only words to his son are to ask “If I am going home now.” There is a disconnect in their relationship because they have nothing to say to each other, and their material success has only exacerbated this issue. There is an expectation for his son to leave, and not stay and celebrate. These empty interaction have become a cycle that has been happening for a while, and has not improved. Richard Rodriguez argues the negative aspects of material success in the routine interaction that have driven a wedge in the relationship of parent and